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In this thread I rank my favorite post-Beatles Beatles songs: 291-1. (2 Viewers)

Shaft41 said:
So, I've been thinking lately about why I'm a Paul guy and digging a little deeper than just, well, he's written approximately 236, 347 songs in his long career so there's more Paul to go around.  First off, I understand that no one is a Ringo guy or girl.  We all love him, but no one can get past his passable singing voice and relatively simple, yet repetitive song structures and melodies to put him at the top of the list.  But I would guess the number of John folks vs. Paul folks vs. George folks is at least relatively static and there are good reasons for each.  

I've mentioned before that I'm an unabashed melody over lyrics guy, which lends itself perfectly to Paul, oh he of the songs about ob la dis, secretary and smiling even though you smell like an alpaca farm.  It is not too often that I even really notice the lyrics, unless they're nonsensical, because they're generally fairly benign and inconsequential.  But the hooks, the voice, the unique song structures, etc. all bring me in.  

John is the opposite.  Much of his 70's work to me is an extension of some of his Beatles songs that I like but don't love.  Too often a droning melody or chorus with one note repeating.  Or a meandering melody that sounds made up on the spot.  I typically find the instrumentation and background music the most appealing part of many of his songs from a musical standpoint.  But I DO notice his lyrics, but I can't relate to them, because they're TOO personal.  Yeah, we can find common ground with songs about jealousy, and, uh, nobody telling me about most peculiar days, but I can't relate to sitting in the bath and yelling out "Oh, Yoko!" or quitting drugs cold turkey or another song yelling "Yoko" or saying I don't believe in Beatles or something something Yoko Yoko Ono Ono Yoko something.  

George is somewhere in the middle.  Seeing as he was always the most aloof to me, it's harder to connect, but I LOVE some of the tunes.  I think I'm more of a George guy than a John guy, even though I think I could spend more time with George than Jim Keltner did and still not know whether he liked or disliked something.  His songs are stuck more in my head than I often realize.  

But this countdown is normalizing things for me.  I'm finding common ground and maybe, by the end, I won't be a Paul guy, I'll just be a guy.  Hopefully not a jealous guy.  
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Great post.  It's interesting that they are "normalizing" for you.  It might be the same for me, but in the opposite direction.  

I don't think there was any question in the original thread that in general I preferred John's songs to Paul's or George's.  But in this exercise I've found a much greater appreciation for Paul's music.  His breadth is unquestionably the greatest, and it's not even close.  I will have quite a few George songs very high on my list, but they tend to be only from a couple of records.  John doesn't even fare nearly as well as George on my list.  I like to think that if John had lived, that would be different, but even just comparing the times they were all recording during 1970-1980, I much prefer George's and Paul's outputs.  So it's evened out for me in that direction with this countdown.

By the way, I think if you just said "disliked" it on your George question every time, you'd be right in the vast majority of instances.

 
heckmanm said:
Power-skimming to get caught up.  You started while I was in the midst of a 2000+ song Frank Zappa list on Spotify so I waited until I was done with that.

Anyway, loved this, seeing all these legends just having fun. But who's the Denis Leary/Willem Dafoe-looking guy next to George?

Other note - I think I know where Neil got the inspiration for "Days that Used to Be"

ETA - don't hold your breath waiting for my "Top 2000 Zappa songs" thread
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Welcome back!

 
220.  Waiting (Beaucoups Of Blues, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #16)

I’ve mentioned a few times how much Ringo loves country music; you could see this even from his song choices in the Beatles catalog.  And I’ve also mentioned how well-suited his voice is to country, where a flat vocal can work better.  His second studio album, Beaucoups of Blues, was the realization of a longtime dream to record a country & western record.  It began when Ringo was helping George on All Things Must Pass; Ringo sent his car to pick up steel guitarist Pete Drake from the airport, and Drake noticed Ringo’s large selection of C&W tapes.  Drake invited Ringo to Nashville, promising that he could have his friends write a whole album of songs and record them with Ringo within a week.

In Nashville, Drake assembled a cast of dozens, including Nashville’s top session musicians and big names such as Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, Charlie McCoy, and the Jordanaires.  There were so many local performers working on this record that, as one of them described it:  “The sessions went until at least 1 a.m, but it was 2 or 3 in the morning before we got out of there. It took that long just to say goodnight to everybody.”  Many of the participants were initially skeptical of what it would be like to work with a Beatle, thinking Ringo was going to be a jerk.  They obviously didn’t know Ringo!  Instead, it was a two-day session that everyone involved described as pure joy due to Ringo’s charm and professionalism.  By the way, that is not a typo – they completed it all in a marathon two-day session, recording five songs in the morning and five at night each day. 

Beaucoups Of Blues was fairly well received by critics and the public upon release, but it has grown in its influence over the years, now being acknowledged by some as helping to introduce country to rock ‘n’ roll and serve as a precursor to alt-country.  Charlie Daniels has called it an “important record that helped legitimize country in the rock world.”  I think it’s a great little record, with Ringo enjoying himself even more than he always does.  Ringo didn’t play drums on any of these songs, except for the late-night jam sessions, one of which made it onto the bonus tracks as “Nashville Jam.”  I’ll have one more selection from the album on the countdown, but I like the whole record.

 
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krista4 said:
220.  Waiting (Beaucoups Of Blues, 1970)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #16)

I’ve mentioned a few times how much Ringo loves country music; you could see this even from his song choices in the Beatles catalog.  And I’ve also mentioned how well-suited his voice is to country, where a flat vocal can work better.  His second studio album, Beaucoups of Blues, was the realization of a longtime dream to record a country & western record.  It began when Ringo was helping George on All Things Must Pass; Ringo sent his car to pick up steel guitarist Pete Drake from the airport, and Drake noticed Ringo’s large selection of C&W tapes.  Drake invited Ringo to Nashville, promising that he could have his friends write a whole album of songs and record them with Ringo within a week.

In Nashville, Drake assembled a cast of dozens, including Nashville’s top session musicians and big names such as Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, Charlie McCoy, and the Jordanaires.  There were so many local performers working on this record that, as one of them described it:  “The sessions went until at least 1 a.m, but it was 2 or 3 in the morning before we got out of there. It took that long just to say goodnight to everybody.”  Many of the participants were initially skeptical of what it would be like to work with a Beatle, thinking Ringo was going to be a jerk.  They obviously didn’t know Ringo!  Instead, it was a two-day session that everyone involved described as pure joy due to Ringo’s charm and professionalism.  By the way, that is not a typo – they completed it all in a marathon two-day session, recording five songs in the morning and five at night each day. 

Beaucoups Of Blues was fairly well received by critics and the public upon release, but it has grown in its influence over the years, now being acknowledged by some as helping to introduce country to rock ‘n’ roll and serve as a precursor to alt-country.  Charlie Daniels has called it an “important record that helped legitimize country in the rock world.”  I think it’s a great little record, with Ringo enjoying himself even more than he always does.  Ringo didn’t play drums on any of these songs, except for the late-night jam sessions, one of which made it onto the bonus tracks as “Nashville Jam.”  I’ll have one more selection from the album on the countdown, but I like the whole record.
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What, Keltner can't do some country?  What gives, Jimbo?

 
219.  Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney – New Moon Over Jamaica (Cash album Water From The Wells Of Home, 1988)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #103)

Speaking of country music, this one had accidentally snuck into my Paul top 100 when I wasn’t looking.  It’s a wonderful song, and Paul’s vocal on it is fab, but there’s not enough Paul here to warrant top 100 treatment.  Whew, glad I caught it in time.

Paul had long been vacationing in Jamaica, where Johnny Cash also owned a home.  One night in the mid-80s, while Paul and Linda were at Cash’s house for dinner, Paul watched the moon and wrote this song.  In 1988, Cash stopped by Paul’s house with Tom T. Hall in tow and asked that they record the song for his upcoming album, which they did with Paul on bass and harmonies, plus a little section of lead.  Joining Hall on backing vocals were June Carter and Linda!  So good.  There is also an alternate demo version from Paul with an unfortunate reggae sound instead of the pure bliss of waltz time.  Skip that and enjoy this slice of waltzy goodness.  

 
krista4 said:
219.  Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney – New Moon Over Jamaica (Cash album Water From The Wells Of Home, 1988)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #103)

Speaking of country music, this one had accidentally snuck into my Paul top 100 when I wasn’t looking.  It’s a wonderful song, and Paul’s vocal on it is fab, but there’s not enough Paul here to warrant top 100 treatment.  Whew, glad I caught it in time.

Paul had long been vacationing in Jamaica, where Johnny Cash also owned a home.  One night in the mid-80s, while Paul and Linda were at Cash’s house for dinner, Paul watched the moon and wrote this song.  In 1988, Cash stopped by Paul’s house with Tom T. Hall in tow and asked that they record the song for his upcoming album, which they did with Paul on bass and harmonies, plus a little section of lead.  Joining Hall on backing vocals were June Carter and Linda!  So good.  There is also an alternate demo version from Paul with an unfortunate reggae sound instead of the pure bliss of waltz time.  Skip that and enjoy this slice of waltzy goodness.  
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I'm not a huge Cash guy, but this is good stuff.  Love a good waltz.  

It's tough to track down, but there was another alternate version of this where they also collaborated with Duran Duran called "New Moon on Monday Over Jamaica" that's a decent listen.  

 
I'm going to spend some time while watching football to put together a grouping of the songs taken for my contest, by Beatle.  

Also, a preview of the next several days for anyone who might still care:

Friday - the last two Paul songs before we get to the Paul Top 100tm, plus a Christmas song.  Grab your eggnog!

Saturday - Paul songs #98-100, plus A Very Special Video Interlude

Sunday - Paul songs #95-97.  Sorry Paul.

Monday - Paul songs #92-94.  Sheesh, really sorry Paul.

Tuesday - In Memoriam, George Harrison.  Discussion of George's last years; one George song, plus two tribute songs from Ringo and one from Paul (kinda) to their lost brother-Beatles.

 
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krista4 said:
I'm going to spend some time while watching football to put together a grouping of the songs taken for my contest, by Beatle.  

Also, a preview of the next several days for anyone who might still care:

Friday - the last two Paul songs before we get to the Paul Top 100tm, plus a Christmas song.  Grab your eggnog!

Saturday - Paul songs #98-100, plus A Very Special Video Interlude

Sunday - Paul songs #95-97.  Sorry Paul.

Monday - Paul songs #92-94.  Sheesh, really sorry Paul.

Tuesday - In Memoriam, George Harrison.  Discussion of George's last years; one George song, plus two tribute songs from Ringo and one from Paul (kinda) to their lost brother-Beatles.
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IT'S A PAUL SHOWCASE!

 
krista4 said:
219.  Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney – New Moon Over Jamaica (Cash album Water From The Wells Of Home, 1988)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #103)
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This instantly reminded me of Sad Songs and Waltzes, which until five minutes ago I was unaware was a Willie Nelson song. Anyway, I’m going to chalk up the similarities to the limitations of 3/4 time, and not somebody cribbing from somebody else. I can confidentally  slot this behind Blue Danube and the Cake cover above on the Top Three Waltzes I Can Think of Right Now.

 
Rustoleum said:
This instantly reminded me of Sad Songs and Waltzes, which until five minutes ago I was unaware was a Willie Nelson song. Anyway, I’m going to chalk up the similarities to the limitations of 3/4 time, and not somebody cribbing from somebody else. I can confidentally  slot this behind Blue Danube and the Cake cover above on the Top Three Waltzes I Can Think of Right Now.
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:lol:   No Tennessee Waltz?

 
Rustoleum said:
I could probably pull a handful more out fo the air if I really concentrated, but I wouldn’t have gotten that one.

In breaking news, internet sources are telling me Waltzing Matilda is not in fact a waltz.
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I was trying to give you something not a classical piece, even though you named Blue Danube, and that was the first one that hit me, probably because "waltz" is right there in the title and that made it easy.  :)  

 
OK, here are the official guesses, with a little commentary.  

Overall comments: 

  1. I predicted there was one of my four favorites that no one would get, and I was right.
  2. For each of the other three Beatles, at least one person guessed correctly.
  3. There are two songs on the list that are not on my countdown at all.
John 

  1. 5 votes - Watching the Wheels (simey, shuke, neal, Dr. Oct, falguy)
  2. 3 votes - Instant Karma (jwb, facook, prosopis)
  3. 2 votes - #9 Dream (Morton, Pip)
  4. 1 vote each - Beautiful Boy (Shaft); How Do You Sleep? (weasel); (Just Like) Starting Over (Uruk)
Thoughts:  No Imagine?  That seems like a slam-dunk for at least a few votes.  Mildly surprised at the top two being so heavily favored compared to bigger "names." 

Paul 

  1. 4 votes - Maybe I’m Amazed (neal, Shaft, Dr. Oct, facook)
  2. 2 votes - Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey (shuke, falguy)
  3. 1 vote each - Band on the Run (simey); Back Seat Of My Car (Morton); Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (jwb); Another Day (weasel); Listen To What The Man Said (Pip); Coming Up (Uruk); Here Today (prosopis)
Thoughts:  Not a shock to see a wide variety of selections for Paul, given his huge output and variety of styles.  Surprised to see Band On The Run with only one vote - would have considered that one of the heavy favorites.

George 

  1. 5 votes - What is Life (simey, shuke, Morton, jwb, falguy)
  2. 2 votes each - Beware of Darkness (neal, Dr. Oct); All Things Must Pass (facook, Uruk)
  3. 1 vote each - Blow Away (Shaft); Give Me Love (weasel); I’d Have You Anytime (Pip); Got My Mind Set On You (prosopis)
Thoughts:  No My Sweet Lord, which is one of the most beloved George songs, but two lesser known from All Things Must Pass (Beware of Darkness and I'd Have You Anytime) getting votes?  Also surprised that What Is Life would be such a heavy favorite considering how many great options.  Would have expected this to be more broadly distributed like the Paul list.

Ringo  

  1. 6 votes each - Photograph (simey, neal, jwb, facook, Pip, prosopis); It Don't Come Easy (shuke, Morton, Shaft, Dr. Oct, weasel, Uruk)
  2. 1 vote - Have You Seen My Baby (falguy)
Thoughts:  falguy was the last to vote, and he was positioned to break the tie, but instead went off the board with a new selection!

 
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krista4 said:
OK, here are the official guesses, with a little commentary.  

Overall comments: 

  1. I predicted there was one of my four favorites that no one would get, and I was right.
  2. For each of the other three Beatles, at least one person guessed correctly.
  3. There are two songs on the list that are not on my countdown at all.
John 

  1. 5 votes - Watching the Wheels (simey, shuke, neal, Dr. Oct, falguy)
  2. 3 votes - Instant Karma (jwb, facook, prosopis)
  3. 2 votes - #9 Dream (Morton, Pip)
  4. 1 vote each - Beautiful Boy (Shaft); How Do You Sleep? (weasel); (Just Like) Starting Over (Uruk)
Thoughts:  No Imagine?  That seems like a slam-dunk for at least a few votes.  Mildly surprised at the top two being so heavily favored compared to bigger "names." 

Paul 

  1. 4 votes - Maybe I’m Amazed (neal, Shaft, Dr. Oct, facook)
  2. 2 votes - Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey (shuke, falguy)
  3. 1 vote each - Band on the Run (simey); Back Seat Of My Car (Morton); Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (jwb); Another Day (weasel); Listen To What The Man Said (Pip); Coming Up (Uruk); Here Today (prosopis)
Thoughts:  Not a shock to see a wide variety of selections for Paul, given his huge output and variety of styles.  Surprised to see Band On The Run with only one vote - would have considered that one of the heavy favorites.

George 

  1. 5 votes - What is Life (simey, shuke, Morton, jwb, falguy)
  2. 2 votes each - Beware of Darkness (neal, Dr. Oct); All Things Must Pass (facook, Uruk)
  3. 1 vote each - Blow Away (Shaft); Give Me Love (weasel); I’d Have You Anytime (Pip); Got My Mind Set On You (prosopis)
Thoughts:  No My Sweet Lord, which is one of the most beloved George songs, but two lesser known from All Things Must Pass (Beware of Darkness and I'd Have You Anytime) getting votes?  Also surprised that What Is Life would be such a heavy favorite considering how many great options.  Would have expected this to be more broadly distributed like the Paul list.

Ringo  

  1. 6 votes each - Photograph (simey, neal, jwb, facook, Pip, prosopis); It Don't Come Easy (shuke, Morton, Shaft, Dr. Oct, weasel, Uruk)
  2. 1 vote - Have You Seen My Baby (falguy)
Thoughts:  falguy was the last to vote, and he was positioned to break the tie, but instead went off the board with a new selection!
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Thanks for the recap.  I was literally kicking myself yesterday, thinking I should have picked "Beautiful Boy" for my John pick for you.  And now, I see that I did and didn't remember it at all.  

On an unrelated note, getting old is fun.  

 
krista4 said:
I'm going to spend some time while watching football to put together a grouping of the songs taken for my contest, by Beatle.  

Also, a preview of the next several days for anyone who might still care:

Friday - the last two Paul songs before we get to the Paul Top 100tm, plus a Christmas song.  Grab your eggnog!

Saturday - Paul songs #98-100, plus A Very Special Video Interlude

Sunday - Paul songs #95-97.  Sorry Paul.

Monday - Paul songs #92-94.  Sheesh, really sorry Paul.

Tuesday - In Memoriam, George Harrison.  Discussion of George's last years; one George song, plus two tribute songs from Ringo and one from Paul (kinda) to their lost brother-Beatles.
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That's a lot of Paul. 

(Also said by Heather while counting her money after their divorce.)

 
Busy morning!  Sorry for late start.

218.  The Fireman – Two Magpies (The Fireman, Electric Arguments, 2008)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #102)

Here we are, the last of the Paul-composed songs on the list to miss the top 100.  In fact, this was in the top 100 until I recently did several days’ worth of relistening, because I’m insane. 

Paul sure does like birds.  We have that in common, Paul.  :callme:  He said in an interview regarding this record that he sees birds as symbols of freedom.  This particular song is a sweet little acoustic bit, with Paul doing some finger-picking, using brushes on the drum parts, and adding some double-bass.  You can hear his daughter Beatrice in the background at the end of the song.  And there’s more Paul counting!  What a counter!  I like the counting here – it gives the song a nursery rhyme feel.  The only reason I dropped this out of the top 100 was because I didn’t feel the double-tracked vocal quite doing it for me.  Also, when it came down to it, could I commit to having four The Fireman songs in my top 100?

 
krista4 said:
And there’s more Paul counting!  What a counter! 
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One, two, three, four
Can I have a little more?
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, I love you

A, B, C, D
Can I bring my friend to tea?
E, F, G, H, I, J, I love you

(Bom bom bom bompa bom) Sail the ship
(Bompa bom) Chop the tree
(Bompa bom) Skip the rope
(Bompa bom) Look at me

(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now

Black, white, green, red
Can I take my friend to bed?
Pink, brown, yellow, orange and blue, I love you

(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now

(Bom bom bom) Sail the ship
(Bompa bom) Chop the tree
(Bompa bom) Skip the rope
(Bompa bom) Look at me

(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now
(All together now) All together now

&

 
217. The Christmas Dance (I Wanna Be Santa Claus, 1999)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #15)

Work with me here – Ringo’s Christmas album is a ####### hoot.  It received well-deserved rave reviews upon release, as it’s Ringo is doing what he does best – OK, what he does third-best after (1) acting as a ####### metronome, and (2) backwards-### fills – having fun, in this case by putting out an album meant to tell you that Christmas is always here, not just one day a year.  Checking a calendar, I see it’s mid-September, and Ringo has brought Christmas cheer to my house.

I decided not to pummel you guys with anything more than one song, but there are several on here I enjoy.  Chief among those I didn’t select is “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”, a reworking of the Beatles song put out in 1967 as part of their fan-club annual holiday release.  It was wacky and unnerving then, and it’s every bit as wacky but slightly less unnerving on this version.  A little more unnerving but interesting and compelling is the new composition, “Pax Um Biscum” (Peace Be With You).  

Combined with some fun versions of such songs as Rudolph and Winter Wonderland, this toe-tapping Ringo-original song combines with the rest of the album to make for a record you could easily work into your ham dinners and family arguments.  It’s a Christmas miracle!

 
krista4 said:
217. The Christmas Dance (I Wanna Be Santa Claus, 1999)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #15)

Work with me here – Ringo’s Christmas album is a ####### hoot.  It received well-deserved rave reviews upon release, as it’s Ringo is doing what he does best – OK, what he does third-best after (1) acting as a ####### metronome, and (2) backwards-### fills – having fun, in this case by putting out an album meant to tell you that Christmas is always here, not just one day a year.  Checking a calendar, I see it’s mid-September, and Ringo has brought Christmas cheer to my house.

I decided not to pummel you guys with anything more than one song, but there are several on here I enjoy.  Chief among those I didn’t select is “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”, a reworking of the Beatles song put out in 1967 as part of their fan-club annual holiday release.  It was wacky and unnerving then, and it’s every bit as wacky but slightly less unnerving on this version.  A little more unnerving but interesting and compelling is the new composition, “Pax Um Biscum” (Peace Be With You).  

Combined with some fun versions of such songs as Rudolph and Winter Wonderland, this toe-tapping Ringo-original song combines with the rest of the album to make for a record you could easily work into your ham dinners and family arguments.  It’s a Christmas miracle!
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We started listening to some Christmas music in my house last weekend, so we may need to add this to the rotation.  Fun number.  Sorry, Krista, but I love the little 40's swing-style sax interludes in the chorus, with the soaring clarinet a close second.  

 
Never knew Ringo had a Christmas album- should probably turn in my Beatlemania card.

Have you heard or own any of the Beatles fanclub x-mas stuff? I heard parts of a couple on the Beatles channel but never all of them all the way through.

 
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krista4 said:
I decided not to pummel you guys with anything more than one song, but there are several on here I enjoy.  Chief among those I didn’t select is “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”, a reworking of the Beatles song put out in 1967 as part of their fan-club annual holiday release.  It was wacky and unnerving then, and it’s every bit as wacky but slightly less unnerving on this version.
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Raging weasel said:
Never knew Ringo had a Christmas album- should probably turn in my Beatlemania card.

Have you heard or own any of the Beatles fanclub x-mas stuff? I heard parts of a couple on the Beatles channel but never all of them all the way through.
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I linked one of them in my write-up.  I like that one a lot, even though it's kinda weird (or maybe because it's kinda weird).  I've heard some others but don't remember them as well.

 
krista4 said:
217. The Christmas Dance (I Wanna Be Santa Claus, 1999)  Spotify  YouTube

(Ringo #15)

Work with me here – Ringo’s Christmas album is a ####### hoot.  It received well-deserved rave reviews upon release, as it’s Ringo is doing what he does best – OK, what he does third-best after (1) acting as a ####### metronome, and (2) backwards-### fills – having fun, in this case by putting out an album meant to tell you that Christmas is always here, not just one day a year.  Checking a calendar, I see it’s mid-September, and Ringo has brought Christmas cheer to my house.

I decided not to pummel you guys with anything more than one song, but there are several on here I enjoy.  Chief among those I didn’t select is “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”, a reworking of the Beatles song put out in 1967 as part of their fan-club annual holiday release.  It was wacky and unnerving then, and it’s every bit as wacky but slightly less unnerving on this version.  A little more unnerving but interesting and compelling is the new composition, “Pax Um Biscum” (Peace Be With You).  

Combined with some fun versions of such songs as Rudolph and Winter Wonderland, this toe-tapping Ringo-original song combines with the rest of the album to make for a record you could easily work into your ham dinners and family arguments.  It’s a Christmas miracle!
Click to expand...
This is why I keep listening. Every once in a while a gem is found. I love Christmas music and was unaware of this album. I love this track.

 
216.  Nitin Sawhney (feat. Paul McCartney) - My Soul (Sawhney album London Undersound, 2008)  YouTube  (not available on Spotify)

(Paul #101)

I have almost no information on this song, how it came about, etc.  I just know that Paul’s fragile vocal sounds unbelievable on it, and the lyrics are outstanding.  I love the Indian influences by Sawhney, whom I’d never heard of but is British producer and composer who has a super-impressive resume of collaborations and achievements.  Anyone here more knowledgeable about him than Wikipedia and I are?  I feel like a philistine for not knowing more.  I see he scored The Namesake, which was an excellent movie.  This only misses my top 100 because it’s not a 100% Paul-composed song nor a Paul-selected cover, and I can’t find much information on it, so I’ve put others ahead.  Stunning song, though.

 
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prosopis said:
This is why I keep listening. Every once in a while a gem is found. I love Christmas music and was unaware of this album. I love this track.
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:clap:  Listening to it more when I was finding the YouTube and Spotify links made me think I should have had it higher on my Ringo list.  Glad you love it!

 
krista4 said:
I'm going to spend some time while watching football to put together a grouping of the songs taken for my contest, by Beatle.  

Also, a preview of the next several days for anyone who might still care:

Friday - the last two Paul songs before we get to the Paul Top 100tm, plus a Christmas song.  Grab your eggnog!

Saturday - Paul songs #98-100, plus A Very Special Video Interlude

Sunday - Paul songs #95-97.  Sorry Paul.

Monday - Paul songs #92-94.  Sheesh, really sorry Paul.

Tuesday - In Memoriam, George Harrison.  Discussion of George's last years; one George song, plus two tribute songs from Ringo and one from Paul (kinda) to their lost brother-Beatles.
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It's Lolla-PAUL-Ooza.

 
---INTERLUDE – Wings - Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)---

Wings At The Speed of Sound was recorded and released in 1975-76 in the midst of the “Wings Over The World” tour I previously discussed.  With the success of Band On The Run and Venus And Mars spurring the tour, the band had reconvened after the early performance dates to release another album in advance of the “Wings Over America” portion to incorporate the songs into the rest of the tour.  As a result, four of the songs from this record were released on the wildly popular Wings Over America live album.  This album was also wildly popular, at least with the public, and spent seven(!) weeks at #1 on the US charts behind the strength of two blockbuster singles, “Silly Love Songs” (which hit #1 in the US) and “Let ‘Em In” (#3). 

Critical reception was much less positive, however.  Paul had struggled with trying to make this group feel like “a real band,” instead of Paul McCartney and an assemblage of interchangeable others, so with this album he wanted more of a democratic feel, and in a change from Band On The Run and Venus And Mars insisted that it be credited to “Wings” only.  As a result, the album is notable for being the first time that each member of the band took a lead vocal – yes, even Linda – with Laine and McColluch also contributing songs they’d written.  Unfortunately, the result – in part from the “democracy” and in part due to the rush to get it out – was a record that felt disjointed and lacking in cohesion.  It’s not a coincidence that the songs that became huge hits were both written and sung by Paul, since many of those from the other band members range from not good to truly awful.  Critics, who had been clamoring for Paul to have a true band rather than merely a Paul vehicle, were likewise dissatisfied with the “spread the wealth” approach given that it had resulted in a mediocre album.

Nevertheless, Paul felt he had accomplished his goal for the band:  “What I hoped would happen did, that we would get to know each other, the feel of each other – not just me getting lumped in with five other famous people.  So, we learned this is a special thing being in a band, which is about understanding each other. So, the memory of the '70s is that yes, it was difficult but the fact it worked was rewarding."

I like this album better than the critics did.  Sure, it's not cohesive, but there are a few top-notch songs, and most of the rest are at least listenable (not "Cook of the House").  My first selection from this album will be mostly for sentimental reasons, but I'll have three more that I find first-rate.

The cover shows lettering from the marquee of the Leicester Square Theatre in London.  

Track listing:

  1. Let ‘Em In
  2. The Note You Never Wrote
  3. She’s My Baby
  4. Beware My Love
  5. Wino Junko
  6. Silly Love Songs
  7. Cook Of The House
  8. Time To Hide
  9. Must Do Something About It
  10. San Ferry Anne
  11. Warm And Beautiful



 
215.  Wings - Warm and Beautiful (Wings At The Speed Of Sound, 1976)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #100)

My next two Paul songs are here in large part for sentimental reasons.  Me, sentimental???  I know, I’m embarrassed for me, too.

This song seems extremely polarizing, with some calling it “one of the most beautiful songs Paul ever wrote” and others, predictably, “one of the worst songs that Paul has ever written.”  I fall in the middle on this one and would re-characterize it as “one of the most beautiful melodies Paul ever wrote paired with some of his worst lyrics.”  There is something about the chord progression that seems incredibly familiar to me, but I’ve never been able to put my finger on it.  It sounds very old-fashioned in a way, so maybe it’s a song that I heard in childhood.  Whatever it is, it scratches my musical itch perfectly.  I also love Paul’s vocal on this, which sounds appropriately delicate and vulnerable, especially on the lyrics “tells the story of our love.”  Actually as I was just listening to this again, I realized that that line sounds to me like Fievel Mousekowitz singing “Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight,” in An American Tail. 

Did I just compare Paul’s vocal to an animated Russian-Jewish mouse?  Why yes, I did.  I didn’t mean it badly, though.  I quite enjoy An American Tail.  I hope I didn’t ruin the song for you.  Anyway, back to it, there is one part I both love and hate, which is Jimmy McCulloch’s bizarro guitar section that seems suddenly to pop in from a different song at 1:38, then disappears about 15 seconds later as if he wasn’t meant to be there.  Being so weird makes me kind of love it, but it’s also jarring!

Let’s not even talk about the lyrics, keeping this a positive post.  Instead I’ll turn to the sentimental reason it made my top 100 Paul songs, which is that this seems to be Paul’s favorite song he wrote about Linda:  “My favourite arrangement is ‘Warm and Beautiful.’  That one really does get to me…always does my head in.  It captures some of my innermost feelings for Linda.”  After Linda died, Paul composed a new arrangement to be performed by a string quartet at each of Linda’s memorial services, with the Brodsky quartet performing it in London and the Loma Mar quartet in New York.  The latter also performed the song on Paul’s 1999 album of classical music, Working Classical; this version is beautiful without the distraction of the lyrics or the odd guitar solo.  I mentioned at the beginning of the thread that I won’t be considering songs for the countdown from the classical albums, but if you’re interested in this music, check out that album, which itself was inspired by Linda’s love of classical music.

 
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krista4 said:
216.  Nitin Sawhney (feat. Paul McCartney) - My Soul (Sawhney album London Undersound, 2008)  YouTube  (not available on Spotify)

(Paul #101)

I have almost no information on this song, how it came about, etc.  I just know that Paul’s fragile vocal sounds unbelievable on it, and the lyrics are outstanding.  I love the Indian influences by Sawhney, whom I’d never heard of but is British producer and composer who has a super-impressive resume of collaborations and achievements.  Anyone here more knowledgeable about him than Wikipedia and I are?  I feel like a philistine for not knowing more.  I see he scored The Namesake, which was an excellent movie.  This only misses my top 100 because it’s not a Paul-composed song nor a Paul-selected cover, and I can’t find much information on it, so I’ve put others ahead.  Stunning song, though.
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Apparantely, this song was co-written by Paul, and it relates to Heather. I think Paul was the main lyric guy on it.

Its a surprise which only a Beatle could be inspired to spring. Paul McCartney, whose marriage to Heather Mills ended in a bitter High Court divorce battle, has broken his silence over the split, in the form of a love song for her. Affection, translated into a love song.

This is seen as Paul’s “unbelievable” move to buy peace with Heather. What is most interesting is that he has recorded the acoustic ballad My Soul in collaboration with Asian-influenced electronic music guru Nitin Sawhney. Nitin’s recent works include scores for Oscar-nominated director Mira Nair’s adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s, The Namesake, as well as Natural Fantasia for the BBC.

The track is to be released on Sawhney’s new album London Undersound in October, according to the Mail.

Sawhney said: “Paul has done a track about how he feels about Heather and what was going on with the paparazzi because no one has heard his side of it at all — so this will be the first time anyone hears a song relating to that subject. It’s very emotional and a very powerful song.”
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simey said:
Apparantely, this song was co-written by Paul, and it relates to Heather. I think Paul was the main lyric guy on it.
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I had seen this, but didn't find it reliable when I researched the Hindustan Times, which was at one point a real paper but now is more of a tabloid.  Tabloids like the Daily Mail reported this was about Heather, too.  You're right, though, that Paul has a writing credit on it, which I should correct in my post to say that he was a co-composer.

 
krista4 said:
I had seen this, but didn't find it reliable when I researched the Hindustan Times, which was at one point a real paper but now is more of a tabloid.  Tabloids like the Daily Mail reported this was about Heather, too.  You're right, though, that Paul has a writing credit on it, which I should correct in my post to say that he was a co-composer.
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Yeah, those are sketchy sources. Here is one more called oneindia.  Check out this quote from it:

A friend of Sir Paul said last night: ''What the song shows is that rather than feeling embittered towards Heather, Paul just feels sorry for her. '' ''He feels sorry that she was never able to tell him the full truth about her past life. He feels that their romance happened so fast and so publicly that a lot never really got said'' ''Paul knows Heather is a complex person, and deeply misunderstood - but that she has hardly helped herself by being less than transparent about her life.''
 
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simey said:
Yeah, those are sketchy sources. Here is one more called oneindia.  Check out this quote from it:
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Good info - thanks!  I don't know what to make of it.  Paul had started dating Nancy in 2007, so I hope he still wasn't obsessing over Heather like this when the song was written in 2008.  Seems like a potential bummer for Nancy.  

 
---INTERLUDE – Paul videos with…?---

Since the guys have patiently listened to, among other things, a lot of Ringo songs, I’m going to reward you with…hot young starlets!  None of the following songs will make my list, but maybe you’ll like the videos.  Or maybe not.

Dance Tonight – I have a fondness for this song due to Abe Laboriel Jr.'s charming dance to it during Paul’s tour last year, and I like the mandolin, but it won't make my countdown.  What’s weird is that a song about “Everybody gonna dance” is so plodding and lacking in energy.  What’s even weirder is this video with Natalie Portman, ghosts, a mandolin delivery man…?

Who Cares – You might or might not, when you watch this video with Emma Stone.  It's a nice anti-bullying statement song from Paul, but didn't quite make my list.

Pretty Little Head - Gabrielle Anwar can save herself, but not this song.

And finally, another video starting Natalie Portman…coming up with the next selection.

 
214.  My Valentine (Kisses On The Bottom, 2012)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #99)

This is one of the two originals by Paul on Kisses on the Bottom, and to me the superior one.  The other, “Only Our Hearts,” features Stevie Wonder on harmonica and just missed my countdown. 

This lands at #99 on my list because it’s simply not my style of song, being a ballad recalling 1950s standards, but I wanted it to be in the top 100 for a couple of reasons.  First, it’s lovely for what it is, melodically rich and satisfying, and despite my reservations about Paul’s vocal on this album in general, I enjoy it on this and think he beautifully harkens the mood of the bygone era.  Eric Clapton also provides a pretty and tasteful guitar part.

Second, he wrote it for #1 Best Paul Wife, Nancy, and he sang it to her at the show I went to in 2019, which gives it a special place in my cold, dark heart.  Paul wrote this during a vacation in Morocco in 2011, when rain threatened to dampen their plans, but Ms. Awesome Nancy said they could have a great time anyway.  He first revealed this song to her at their wedding in 2011, which was held on what would have been John’s 71st birthday.

And since I promised, here’s the video with Natalie Portman.   There's also one with Johnny Depp.  Apparently they both had a couple of mess-ups, with Depp having signed “enemy” when he meant “valentine,” and Portman saying “tampon” when she intended “appear.”  Close enough!

 
Continued awesome job krista.

I’ve been following along but as much as I love the Beatles I’m finding I don't really care for the overall singles catalog of the fabulous four.  The top will be excellent though.

 
krista4 said:
---INTERLUDE – Wings - Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)---

Wings At The Speed of Sound was recorded and released in 1975-76 in the midst of the “Wings Over The World” tour I previously discussed.  With the success of Band On The Run and Venus And Mars spurring the tour, the band had reconvened after the early performance dates to release another album in advance of the “Wings Over America” portion to incorporate the songs into the rest of the tour.  As a result, four of the songs from this record were released on the wildly popular Wings Over America live album.  This album was also wildly popular, at least with the public, and spent seven(!) weeks at #1 on the US charts behind the strength of two blockbuster singles, “Silly Love Songs” (which hit #1 in the US) and “Let ‘Em In” (#3). 

Critical reception was much less positive, however.  Paul had struggled with trying to make this group feel like “a real band,” instead of Paul McCartney and an assemblage of interchangeable others, so with this album he wanted more of a democratic feel, and in a change from Band On The Run and Venus And Mars insisted that it be credited to “Wings” only.  As a result, the album is notable for being the first time that each member of the band took a lead vocal – yes, even Linda – with Laine and McColluch also contributing songs they’d written.  Unfortunately, the result – in part from the “democracy” and in part due to the rush to get it out – was a record that felt disjointed and lacking in cohesion.  It’s not a coincidence that the songs that became huge hits were both written and sung by Paul, since many of those from the other band members range from not good to truly awful.  
Click to expand...
I liked the version of Time to Hide in the Rockshow movie. Presumably it won’t be on your list since it was written and sung by Denny Laine.

I have never heard Cook of the House and don’t intend to.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
I liked the version of Time to Hide in the Rockshow movie. Presumably it won’t be on your list since it was written and sung by Denny Laine.

I have never heard Cook of the House and don’t intend to.
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Right, I won't include any where Paul neither wrote nor sang it.  I like the bass line and the keyboards on that song; overall I think it's pretty good.

 
krista4 said:
214.  My Valentine (Kisses On The Bottom, 2012)  Spotify  YouTube

(Paul #99)

This is one of the two originals by Paul on Kisses on the Bottom, and to me the superior one.  The other, “Only Our Hearts,” features Stevie Wonder on harmonica and just missed my countdown. 

This lands at #99 on my list because it’s simply not my style of song, being a ballad recalling 1950s standards, but I wanted it to be in the top 100 for a couple of reasons.  First, it’s lovely for what it is, melodically rich and satisfying, and despite my reservations about Paul’s vocal on this album in general, I enjoy it on this and think he beautifully harkens the mood of the bygone era.  Eric Clapton also provides a pretty and tasteful guitar part.

Second, he wrote it for #1 Best Paul Wife, Nancy, and he sang it to her at the show I went to in 2019, which gives it a special place in my cold, dark heart.  Paul wrote this during a vacation in Morocco in 2011, when rain threatened to dampen their plans, but Ms. Awesome Nancy said they could have a great time anyway.  He first revealed this song to her at their wedding in 2011, which was held on what would have been John’s 71st birthday.

And since I promised, here’s the video with Natalie Portman.   There's also one with Johnny Depp.  Apparently they both had a couple of mess-ups, with Depp having signed “enemy” when he meant “valentine,” and Portman saying “tampon” when she intended “appear.”  Close enough!
Click to expand...
my bff is the most utilitarian, least romantic person i know. his sons follow his lead, making his wife the least spoiled wife/mom in creation. when i was living in his carriage house earlier this decade, i used to yell at them for their refusal to make the most important person in their lives ever feel special.

we were in Jeff's music room the week before Valentine's Day and he wanted to work on a song. because i was still somewhat disgusted that my li'l thankyou trinket had been the best gift his wife had received that Christmas, i asked him if he was doing anything for Jan on Valentines's Day. i replied to his noncommital grunt by telling him i was on a singing strike until he agreed to step up on the romantic front.

to shut me up but also get to practice whatever he wanted to practice, he said, "what about a song?". "that'd be nice....but you dont sing". "no you sing it.....i got the perfect one. she hasnt heard it yet"

it was weird, but it was sumn. Jeff is a bass player, could strum a guitar, but not solo on an acoustic, and i will have to say he worked like a bear on the "My Valentine" solo. so he cooked her a "we love Mom" dinner, gave her a gift and sat Jan down for her to have me make sweet musical love to her. she is the kind of woman who would know both how "Jeff" it was for him to make me sing to her and how hard her hubby worked on his solo just for her, and she fell apart. it was lovely

Jan still hates me (has for 40 years) but, ever since, she'll look at me occasionally and start to cry. maybe that will move this up to #97 on your Paul list

 
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